Eight and a half months...

It's November tomorrow, I wonder where the year went?? I suspect a small boy ate it!

Just thought I would update with some more Ot-chievements. I'm liking eight months as an age, though it's strangely grown-up-yet-still-tiny. Before I had a baby eight months seemed very old (nine months still does!), and while Otto can do a freakish number of things for someone who was a moderately sized bump this time last year, he is still very little indeed. I can't contemplate leaving him for more than an hour or two...sometimes it feels a bit restrictive, but mostly it feels just right. If he needs me, he needs me. I've had, and will have, plenty of time to indulge my own wants. A bit of sacrifice is doing me good!

Anyway, life achievements for Baby Bean. He now says Mama and Daddy. He tends to say Daddy in conversation and Mama at times of crisis! He says Daddy to the phone, regardless of who is on the other end (or indeed if it's connected at all!) which is very cute. Granny is also convinced that he says Quack if you give him a rubber duck, but I'm a bit skeptical (sorry mum!).

His walking (holding on to a parent for now!) is really coming on, and he can stand unaided for a second or two. He can squirm for toys on his front, and he seems fairly content with that. All his progress is definitely on the walking side rather than crawling - much like Daddy was apparently (and nothing like Mummy who didn't bother walking til 18 months...not that I crawled either!).

Ottie's pointy finger is still very much a feature of who he is. Anything new is probed with his outstretched index finger (often his left, though he seems fairly ambidextrous). It is very sweet, and he takes such an interest in texture as he has since he was very small. There certainly doesn't seem to be any problem with his eyesight as he can spot the smallest crumb or mark to poke and explore...woe betide if you "miss a bit" when cleaning! His pincer grp is also pretty good, he can pop individual rice crispies into his mouth without too much trouble. He still hasn't tried dairy or egg, though I have a feeling his excema might be getting better (in that I don't recall noticing it for a week or two!). Otherwise he seems fine with food, he enjoys it and is still eating a fair amount. He drinks from an open cup too which I'm pleased about as I didn't ever want to have to use a bottle, and I'm all for skipping baby-faff!

We've just spent a few days on holiday in Shropshire and had a lovely time (though O takes a long time to get used to a new bed!). I'm really enjoying being at a stage where he is actually able to enjoy things outside of his immediate surroundings. He is lovely company too, generally very placid and serene and very smiley. Making him giggle takes a lot of effort and plenty of tickles on the whole though!

Wooosh!

Feeling the need to update here despite it being almost a week til Otto's month birthday. Seems like seven months is a funny age because babies leap directly from being six months old to eight months old.

Otto is now starting to crawl :-) not in a proper organised fashion, but with much squirming he can get to his target. This has made him a much happier baby as life has become much less frustrating!

He is really getting into his standing and walking too - he's starting to "cruise" along the furniture. I still think he will be an early-ish walker. The health visitor reckons he will be one-ish, but I think sooner - she thought he was struggling with a saggy middle this week, but actually he was just bobbing up and down with glee at finding someone new in the house when he woke from his nap!

O is definitely saying Daddy now, and occasionally seems to try a mmm sound for Mama. He isn't showing a lot of interest in his baby signing, but it is early days. I thought he would love the classes, but while he quite likes the singing he definitely prefers trying to charm the mothers of the babies on either side of him. He is very much a people person.

Other new developments in his little world have been the first sparks of understanding mirror baby's real identity (very cute, lots of slow hand movements and intent expressions!) and a sudden upturn of his food intake resulting in much more grown up poo - some of which I have managed to catch in the potty to my delight!

He also really loves animals and gets very excited by them. His excitement is very infectious, lots of bouncing up and down, flat handed slapping and urgent "uh uh" noises.

I'm sure I'll be back to add more when he turns eight months, but just wanted to catalogue the big changes taking place at the moment!

Daddy?

Just a quick update to say that I *think* Otto is saying Daddy :-) Mike's still not sure, but we definitely hear a lot more Da-da-da and Da-dy (second part almost whispered) when he's around. Sometimes it even seems that Otts says "Daddy" to Mike, then looks at me and seems a bit puzzled...like "I know that's mama, but how do I say that??". It could all be wishful thinking, but this is my blog and I'll think wishfully if I want to!

I also meant to add that Ottie has four teeth now - bottom two came at 4 and a half months, top two at 6 and a half months. Just like his Daddy apparently!

Oh, and Ali, Ottie and Otts are the tip of the nickname iceberg! There's also Ottie-Botts, The Botts, Tootle, Tootie-two-teeth (now defunct!), Babycake, Babybean and Otto D. I'm sure there's planty more too!

Seven months!

I'm impressed with my blogging skills, another on-time entry! Woohoo.

So, Otto is seven months old today. A bit of a funny, undefined sort of age I think. It's also proving to be quite frustrating for this little boy (and his Mummy!) as least. His development is sky-rocketing, but he still can't quite do everything he'd like to. He can nearly crawl (i.e. pull himself onto his front and flail), he can pull himself up to standing on the cot bars but then can't do much once he's up. He can take steps if both of his hands are held, but is far off walking for himself. And when he combines all these semi-skills to get what he wants he's usually rewarded with "No Otto" and his trophy (Mama's shoe, a glass, a pencil, some ancient food, yesterday's newspaper etc etc) is removed and replaced with some beautiful toy which apparently has zero appeal. Poor baby bean.

Since last entry we went away camping with Church for the week. We had a good time, evenings were a bit tricky as everyone went to evening meetings while I hung out with a wakeful Otts - by the end of the week we'd twigged it was easier just to take him with us and let him snooze in the sling. Nights weren't amazing either, as O is still a waker and camping nights are never the best in my experience! We owe a thank you to Andrew and Fiona for letting us unexpectedly decamp to their bed for one night :-) Overall it was a good time though, and our mammoth tent (there's a tour filmed by Mike on YouTube) served us well.

We're starting Sing and Sign next week which we're looking forward to. Ottie already responds to the sign for milk (his talking is coming along too, no words yet but all manner of new sounds!)
I'm hoping we'll be able to use signs to communicate fairly soon :-)

We've spent some time making O's room a bit more Otto-ish lately, I do have before and after pics to share but that may have to be later as I'm currently writing with Otts tied to my back and pulling my hair. Not conducive to great long entries sadly...

So, hopefully I'll be back before 8 months, but I am excited to see what this month holds for our little chap as he seems to be on so many cusps. Watching him grow is such a delight!

M xx

Otto is six months old!

...and I'm starting this new blog to try and record something of him each month. Mike and I may even feature occasionally too!

These six months have flown by - or at least the latter part has, and I lost March in the newborn haze! Our tiny, dark haired, arm-waving baby has turned into a sturdy little fair-haired chap weighing almost 18lb. He's such a lovely baby, so good natured and friendly. He loves music and clapping, his favourite toys being hedgehog and an unattractive striped rattle with bells in, filched from Granny's toddler group. He loves cuddles and milk, being carried and being at the centre of the action! He has a fascination with fabric that has dated from as soon as he could use his hands, he loves to feel and really inspect people's clothes. He's a very dextrous baby, and currently is working very hard at delicate movements - like getting a toy's whiskers between his finger and thumb, or turning a label over. He also always has a smile for his friend Mirror Baby, and Mirror Baby's parents, Mirror Mummy and Mirror Daddy. He's beginning also to recognise other actual babies, especially his friend Maisy.

He also has developed some very decided opinions. He doesn't like the feeling of being tired at all, and needs a lot of help to switch off for a nap - though milk, the car or a sling or buggy ride can all do the trick. He very cutely expresses disdain by blowing raspberries! This used to be just with his lips, but he's now got the hang of sticking his tongue out too so the razzers are louder and wetter. His best raspberry moment was when his mobile fell off the ceiling onto him in his cot - a brief cry followed by some long and loud raspberries! ;-)

He's recently started noticing Herbert more and more (most notably when I was trying to get him to record a birthday message for his Grandmop!), and he was very taken with my friend Beck's cats too.

He's just beginning his adventures with food - we're letting him lead his weaning by offering him what we're eating as finger food, and letting him play and experiment with it. I'm a fan because it means no pureeing or spoon-shovelling games! He'll continue to have as much milk as he likes for at least another six months, so it's no problem if he choses not to eat for a while, or isn't a fan of the food he's offered at any particular meal. He's only had one go with food so far - sweet potato, courgette (we have these coming out of our ears at the moment!) and raspberries. I'm not sure how much food actually went in, and the raspberries were NOT a hit - but he enjoyed the experience. I'm sure he enjoyed it more than I did actually, I found it quite hard to let go and let him make his own discoveries - especially as it involved a bit of gagging. There's plenty of evidence to show that self-feeding is safe though, and that the gagging is an important part of learning, so I shall just have to learn to trust my boy. The first of many slightly painful (for me!)steps towards independence I suppose!

I'm trying out a few methods of sharing Otto's life and progress a bit more. Obviously there are plenty of pictures on facebook, but I also now have a YouTube account (makes me feel young and trendy!), if you search youtube for mouselovinlady I shall try and regularly upload the silly little videos we take. I'll try to get his back catalogue (so to speak) up there too. I will share a few of the more special/important pictures and video here too - hopefully without playing too much havoc with Granny's download limits!

This is a photo-montage I put together to celebrate Otto's six month birthday - it was a quite a landmark for me, as in the early weeks I wasn't sure how I could survive, never mind thrive with a baby! The music is by Mercury Rev, and is called "First Time Mother's Joy (Flying)"




And this is my favourite recent photo - in the bath the night before his six month birthday:



Right, must go as Otts has given up playing and is razzing at me from the playmat. Think we'll share a nectarine!

:-)